Devil’s Music

Chapter 182: Together with God

The next day, at Barber Mahal Villa in Kathmandu. After filming the finale at the hotel where the program "The Song of Himalaya" had begun, Chae-eun said to Geon,

"Geon, are you really not going to come with us? It's lonely to travel alone."

"Ah, noona, I usually travel alone anyway. I'm okay."

"Sigh, you're really stubborn as a bull. Even CP Yeongseok tried to dissuade you but you wouldn't listen."

"Haha, Yeongseok hyung always says that too."

"Tomorrow we'll be leaving, and after spending over two months together, it really feels like we've become a family. I feel like crying just thinking about separating."

"We'll see each other in Korea, what's the problem?"

"Tsk, maybe I won't see CP Yeongseok, but you? You seem hard to catch, always traveling abroad."

"Well...that might be true, but let's definitely meet up for a meal when I'm back in Korea."

"Haha, okay. I'll definitely contact you."

Chae-eun grabbed Geon's hand and said,

"Come here. I'll shave you before I leave."

"Shave? I can do it myself, noona."

"Tch! You'll hurt yourself trying to shave that long beard alone. Listen to me, okay? We're separating tomorrow."

"Haha, alright, leave it here."

Led by Chae-eun's hand, they went to the hotel lobby on the middle floor where a large mirror was placed. Chae-eun positioned the mirror in front of a sofa, sat Geon down, and brought shaving tools from the room. Seeing the tools, Geon asked,

"Why do you have those? A woman carrying that around?"

"I didn't carry it around. I borrowed it from the staff oppas. Now, lift your head."

After applying shaving cream properly on Geon's face, Chae-eun began to shave his beard with a razor blade, which was impossible with a disposable razor. Watching Chae-eun concentrate to avoid cutting him, Geon closed his eyes, feeling at ease. Only the sound of shaving filled the lobby for a while before Chae-eun broke the silence,

"You know, Geon."

"Hmm?"

"I think it was really good to do this program."

"Yeah, me too. I couldn't have such an experience while in school."

"No, not that. I mean, doing it together with you."

"With me?"

"Yeah, I really think it was good to do this program together with you."

"Haha, that's nice, noona. I also enjoyed doing it with you."

"Sigh, silly. I didn't mean to say something so cliché."

Chae-eun, wiping off the shaved area with a towel, said,

"Meeting you here, and trekking together, I think these will become unforgettable memories. And the volunteer work we did together. It was different from the Sichuan volunteer work. Thanks to you, I even got to see the President of the United States from afar. The company's CEO is ecstatic, saying we've caught a great program, and my manager even got promoted."

Geon, with his eyes closed, smiled and said,

"I'm glad it turned out well. Actually, if I had insisted on leaving the program shooting and going to Gorkha, I would have felt sorry for you. I'm happy it turned out to be a good thing for you since you voluntarily came with me."

Chae-eun, stopping her shaving, stared at Geon's side profile. Realizing Chae-eun had stopped moving, Geon squinted at her, and then she finally spoke,

"You're strange. How can someone have no selfish side? During the past two months, I've seen you genuinely share in others' joy and sorrow more deeply than the person involved. How can you be like that?"

Geon chuckled softly,

"I just did what a human should do, living by doing what people ought to do. It's nothing special. Just finish the shave, noona."

Chae-eun's hand moved again after a long pause, but her gaze on Geon became more complex,

'If I speak my heart out, it might become awkward, right?'

With her lips sealed like a clam and spouting myriad words of love in her head, Chae-eun ultimately didn't say anything to Geon that day. She did not say a word to Geon until the time to leave for the airport the next day.

The next morning, after sending off the group heading to the airport, Geon stayed one more day at the hotel before setting off for the temple. Geon, who had exchanged a hefty amount of rupees in downtown Kathmandu, left downtown with a backpack and J 200, hiding his face with a hat and sunglasses, smiling broadly,

'It

's been a while since I've traveled alone again! My pockets are full, so I'll buy something delicious in the villages I pass through and stay in nice places.'

After wandering around downtown Kathmandu, Geon finally left the bustling area. Just moments before, there had been densely packed shops and numerous buildings, but just a bit outside the downtown, a rugged cliff road appeared, which Geon found fascinating as he enjoyed the view, entering a trekking path with no one in sight.

Intending to etch the beautiful Nepalese landscape into his eyes like a tattoo, Geon caught sight of a man riding a black buffalo far ahead on the road.

'Wow, lying down on a buffalo. Impressive, lying on a walking buffalo without a saddle and even smoking, that's a master in his own right.'

As the man on the slow-moving buffalo got closer, because Geon's pace was faster, Geon glanced at the man's face as he passed by and tilted his head,

'Why is his throat blue? A spot...?'

Thinking it rude to stare again, Geon moved on. After walking for a while, he sat under a cool-looking tree shade, pulled out water from his backpack to quench his thirst, and took a break. Then, he saw the man he had seen before on the buffalo. The man, passing slowly in front of Geon, tapped the buffalo's head with his tobacco pipe, and as if the buffalo understood, it stopped. The man stared intently at Geon for a moment and then spoke in a rough, coarse voice,

"Hey, do you have money?"

"Yes? Me?"

"Who else is here? You seem quite dense."

Feeling awkward, Geon thought,

'What's with this guy?'

Geon closely observed the man lying on the buffalo. The man appeared to be in his mid-forties, with long black hair tied back and a stylishly groomed mustache, but his clothes were shabby. The man, noticing Geon's silent observation, pointed with his tobacco pipe and said,

"Are you deaf? I asked if you have money, kid!"

"Ah, yes.. I do have some."

"Good? Climb up, I'll give you a ride. Just buy me a meal at the next village we pass."

"Um...walking might be faster..."

"Get on, kid!"

"Ah! Yes!"

Geon hesitated as he looked at the buffalo. The buffalo, with red eyes, looked intimidating like a rabid dog, but it slightly lowered its hindquarters to make it easier for Geon to climb on. Geon, though hesitant, climbed behind the man on the buffalo. As Geon mounted, the man tapped the buffalo's head with his tobacco pipe and said,

"Let's go, kid. We have a long way ahead."

Caught in the sudden turn of events, Geon ruffled his hair behind the man,

'Ah, I failed to refuse again. I should have cursed and walked away.'

The man, unable to lie down because of Geon, sat cross-legged and shook his head with the movement of the buffalo, saying,

"When an adult offers a ride, you should say thank you and get on. Why so much hesitation?"

"Ah, yes? Ah, sorry."

Without realizing, Geon answered and tilted his head,

'Huh? Did I say that out loud? How did he know?'

After watching the man silently for a while, Geon turned his gaze to the passing scenery. The buffalo wasn't as slow as he thought, and sitting on its back, the ride wasn't so bad, pleasing Geon. Lost in the beauty of the Himalayas, Geon smiled,

'Riding a buffalo for trekking isn't bad. The breeze caressing my cheeks feels nice, and I'm seeing beautiful landscapes that I missed while tiredly looking at the ground.'

Geon looked at the back of the man in front of him who kept shaking his head,

'This weird man, but thanks to him, I'm having a good experience.'

Suddenly, the man in front of Geon abruptly turned his head to the right and asked in a different, gentler tone,

"So, where are you headed?"

Caught off guard by the change in tone, Geon was momentarily speechless. Noticing Geon's silence, the man, who had turned his head to the right, looked back and asked again,

"Is something bothering you? Why no answer, is there a problem?"

Geon, seeing the man speak with his head tilted in an unusual angle, waved his hands,

"No, no, I'm comfortably enjoying the ride. I'm heading to Pashupatinath Temple to see Shivaratri."

"Oh~ Really? We're also heading there, how convenient, let's go together."

Geon's eyes widened as he looked around,

"Sorry? We? Is there someone else with you?"

The man suddenly shook his head vigorously, straightened his

posture, and spoke in a dignified tone,

"Ahem, no, I mean my buffalo and I."

Geon let out an awkward laugh at the man's sudden change,

'Maybe he has some psychological issues, and I misunderstood. Well, we're heading the same way, so let's go together. It would be inconvenient for him alone.'

After a moment of thought, Geon brightly said,

"Oh, I see! Let's go together, it won't be lonely then. It's about a three-day journey, so I'll take care of meals and lodging in exchange for the ride, haha."

The man smiled warmly but suddenly turned his head to the left and muttered,

"Look at this kid? Nicer than I thought. The one looking after this kid..."

Then, snapping his head back straight, the man said,

"Ahem, nevermind, just talking to myself, don't mind me."

Geon shrugged, indicating it was fine,

"Okay, understood."

"What's your name?"

"I'm Kay."

"Hmm, Kay, eh.."

"And your name?"

"I'm Bra... no, Birasi."

"Ah, Mr. Birasi? Nice to meet you."

"Indeed, please take good care of us on the way to the temple."

As Birasi turned his head forward again, he kept shaking his head from side to side, muttering to himself. Though it seemed like he was arguing in different voices and personalities in Nepali, Geon, unable to understand Nepali, just saw him as someone with a psychological condition.

'Brahma, how old-fashioned, Birasi, what's that about?'

'Could it be, Brahma, you... Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, did you just take one letter from each? Oh, how childish.'

'Quiet, you two. Doesn't the kid think I'm crazy because of you? How embarrassing because of you two. And Shiva, if you mention Gamagin one more time in front of the kid, I'll wrap a scarf around my neck so I can't turn it towards you, so be careful.'

Riding behind the continuously muttering man, Geon paid attention to his words but, unable to understand Nepali, eventually shrugged and enjoyed the surrounding landscape from the back of the buffalo. Smiling at the majestic mountains, Geon was unaware that no birds or animal sounds reached his ears, only the sound of the wind brushing past.

>

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